Once outside the restaurant, Hasan's behavior had changed completely. His steps were unsteady, his words slurred, and his eyes held a strange, feverish glow from intoxication. Anisa held onto his arm because he was in danger of stumbling into the middle of the road. đ”
"Hasan⊠slow down⊠the road is there," she said calmly.
But it was as if he hadn't heard her words, and he suddenly pulled her forcefully toward him. It didn't matter to him that it was a public place or that there were other people around. His arm tightened around her waist so firmly that it became difficult for Anisa to even breathe. đ„
"Hasan⊠please, don't," she tried to gently push him away.
But he smiled and said in a low, yet forceful voice,
"Why?You're my wife, aren't you⊠can't I?" đ©
Those words struck Anisa's heart like a bolt of lightning. Is this what love should feel like? Tears pricked her eyes, but she didn't let them fall in front of the people around. Somehow managing to free herself, she led him to his car.
Once inside the vehicle, Anisa quickly fastened her seatbelt and stared out the window. Her heart was beating abnormally fast. As Hasan started the car, she could clearly tell his hands weren't properly controlling the steering wheel. đ
"Hasan⊠you've had too much to drink⊠drive slowly⊠please," she said in a trembling voice.
"Relax, Anisa⊠I'm fine," he said, pressing the accelerator even harder. đŁ
The car sped forward on the road as if flying. Anisa watched, terrified, as the streetlights flashed by one after another. Suddenly, Hasan's hand left the steering wheel and landed on her thigh.
"Hasan! Watch the road!" she yelled, removing his hand. đ«
At that, he burst into a broken laugh.
"Don't be scaredâŠI'll keep you safe," he said.
At that moment, those words didn't feel like any kind of safety to Anisa. She felt as if her life was in the hands of his carelessness. She closed her eyes and prayed silently in her mind.
"Will I be able to get home safely from here?"
Hasan's drunken smile, the speed of the car, the silence of the night road,all of it mixed together and gave Anisa her first intense doubt about this relationship. đ